IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v118y2020ics0190740920303431.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evidence of non-economic indicators as markers of success for youth in youth employability programs: Insights from a South African study

Author

Listed:
  • Patel, Leila
  • Graham, Lauren
  • Chowa, Gina

Abstract

Evaluation studies of youth employment programs prioritize employment and earnings outcomes and use these indicators to determine what labor market interventions are most successful. Evidence from pre and post data of a cluster randomized controlled longitudinal study, consisting of 1 892 youth between 18 and 25 years who participated in Youth Employability Programs (YEPs) in South Africa, confirms the importance of the inclusion of non-economic indicators to measure success for youth. This study provides evidence that non-economic markers of success such as job-search resilience, self-esteem, self-efficacy and future orientation are potentially important in the transition to employment in the longer term and points to the need for more evaluations that use these markers to predict youth’s success in employment. The findings further suggest that these non-economic outcomes, which were conceptualized as intermediary outcomes, can influence how young people manage the increasingly protracted and difficult transition to work. The study enlarges our understanding of the non-linear and protracted pathways of youth transitions to work in a development context, and how to best support youth in this transition period. These findings have implications for rethinking YEP evaluation outcomes that could lead to adaptive programming and management of interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Patel, Leila & Graham, Lauren & Chowa, Gina, 2020. "Evidence of non-economic indicators as markers of success for youth in youth employability programs: Insights from a South African study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:118:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920303431
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105404
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740920303431
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105404?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2019. "World Development Report 2019 [Rapport sur le développement dans le monde 2019]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 30435, December.
    2. Sanders, Jackie & Munford, Robyn & Boden, Joe & Johnston, William, 2020. "Earning, learning, and access to support: The role of early engagement in work, employment skills development and supportive relationships in employment outcomes for vulnerable youth in New Zealand," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    3. Xueliang Wei & Guorong Zhu & Jianghua Lu & Wenjing Li & And Erjie Qi, 2017. "Improved Reactive Current Detection Method of SVG," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-11, September.
    4. Fox,Louise & Kaul,Upaasna, 2018. "The evidence is in : how should youth employment programs in low-income countries be designed ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8500, The World Bank.
    5. David Card & Jochen Kluve & Andrea Weber, 2018. "What Works? A Meta Analysis of Recent Active Labor Market Program Evaluations," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 894-931.
    6. Luuk P.A. Simons & Maurits P.J. Hafkamp & David Van Bodegom & Adrie Dumaij & Catholijn M. Jonker, 2017. "Improving employee health; lessons from an RCT," International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 17(4), pages 341-353.
    7. Betcherman, Gordon & Godfrey, Martin & Puerto, Susana & Rother, Friederike & Stavreska, Antoneta, 2007. "A review of interventions to support young workers : findings of the youth employment inventory," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 41412, The World Bank.
    8. Chowa, Gina & Ansong, David & Masa, Rainier, 2010. "Assets and child well-being in developing countries: A research review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(11), pages 1508-1519, November.
    9. Elliott, William & Sherraden, Michael, 2013. "Assets and educational achievement: Theory and evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 1-7.
    10. Richard C. Kleef & Thomas G. McGuire & René C. J. A. Vliet & Wynand P. P. M. de Ven, 2017. "Improving risk equalization with constrained regression," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(9), pages 1137-1156, December.
    11. Zolkoski, Staci M. & Bullock, Lyndal M., 2012. "Resilience in children and youth: A review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2295-2303.
    12. Kluve, Jochen & Puerto, Susana & Robalino, David & Romero, Jose M. & Rother, Friederike & Stöterau, Jonathan & Weidenkaff, Felix & Witte, Marc, 2019. "Do youth employment programs improve labor market outcomes? A quantitative review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 237-253.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Laura Alzúa & Soyolmaa Batbekh & Altantsetseg Batchuluun & Bayarmaa Dalkhjav & José Galdo, 2021. "Demand-Driven Youth Training Programs: Experimental Evidence from Mongolia," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(3), pages 720-744.
    2. Maria Laura Alzúa & Soyolmaa Batbekh & Altantsetseg Batchuluun & Bayarmaa Dalkhjavd & José Galdo, 2019. "Living with the Neighbors: Demand-Driven Youth Training Programs: Experimental Evidence from Mongolia," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0249, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    3. Stöterau, Jonathan, 2019. "Job training programs for youth in low-income countries," PEGNet Policy Briefs 15/2019, PEGNet - Poverty Reduction, Equity and Growth Network, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Beber, Bernd & Dworschak, Regina & Lakemann, Tabea & Lay, Jann & Priebe, Jan, 2021. "Skills Development and Training Interventions in Africa: Findings, Challenges, and Opportunities," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 247426.
    5. Chatri, Abdellatif & Hadef, Khadija & Samoudi, Naima, 2021. "Micro-econometric evaluation of subsidized employment in morocco: the case of the "Idmaj" program," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 55, pages 1-17.
    6. Francesco Pastore & Marco Pompili, 2020. "Assessing the Impact of Off-the-Job and On-the-Job Training on Employment Outcomes: A Counterfactual Evaluation of the PIPOL Program," Evaluation Review, , vol. 44(2-3), pages 145-184, April.
    7. repec:iab:iabjlr:v:55:i::p:art.17 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Pastore, Francesco & Pompili, Marco, 2019. "Assessing the Impact of Off- and On-The-Job Training on Employment Outcomes: A Counterfactual Evaluation of the PIPOL Program," IZA Discussion Papers 12074, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Eva‐Maria Egger & Aslihan Arslan & Emanuele Zucchini, 2022. "Does connectivity reduce gender gaps in off‐farm employment? Evidence from 12 low‐ and middle‐income countries," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(1), pages 197-218, March.
    10. Jessen, Jonas & Kluve, Jochen, 2021. "The effectiveness of interventions to reduce informality in low- and middle-income countries," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 138.
    11. Madoń, Karol & Magda, Iga & Palczyńska, Marta & Smoter, Mateusz, 2021. "What Works for Whom? Youth Labour Market Policy in Poland," IZA Discussion Papers 14793, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Hiraga, Masako & Viet Nguyen, Cuong, 2022. "Childcare and maternal employment: Evidence from Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    13. Kluve, Jochen & Puerto, Susanna & Robalino, David & Romero, José Manuel & Rother, Friederike & Stöterau, Jonathan & Weidenkaff, Felix & Witte, Marc, 2016. "Do Youth Employment Programs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Systematic Review," Ruhr Economic Papers 648, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    14. Jakob Engel & Deeksha Kokas & Gladys Lopez-Acevedo & Maryla Maliszewska, 2021. "The Distributional Impacts of Trade," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 35552, December.
    15. Ben White, 2021. "Human Capital Theory and the Defectology of Aspirations in Policy Research on Rural Youth," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(1), pages 54-70, February.
    16. Shafik, Minouche, 2021. "Capitalism needs a new social contract," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112213, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    17. Miyamoto Hiroaki & Suphaphiphat Nujin, 2021. "Mitigating Long-term Unemployment in Europe," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-27, May.
    18. Gianluca Misuraca & Luigi Geppert & Cristiano Codagnone, 2017. "i-FRAME – Assessing impacts of social policy innovation in the EU: Proposed methodological framework to evaluate socio-economic returns on investment of social policy innovations," JRC Research Reports JRC108078, Joint Research Centre.
    19. Jérémy Hervelin & Pierre Villedieu, 2022. "The Benefits of Early Work Experience for School Dropouts: Evidence from a Field Experiment," THEMA Working Papers 2022-07, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    20. Annie Alcid & Erwin Bulte & Robert Lensink & Aussi Sayinzoga & Mark Treurniet, 2023. "Short- and Medium-term Impacts of Employability Training: Evidence from a Randomised Field Experiment in Rwanda," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(3), pages 296-328.
    21. Sue Maguire, 2020. "Youth 2020 — Preventing Another Lost Generation?," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 55(6), pages 356-360, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:118:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920303431. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.